


To never taste dependence (but belonging is alright)

by FreakCityPrincess



Series: Fire of Rebellion [1]
Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Badass Rebelcaptain, Cassian looking handsome in two different outfits, F/M, K-2 Sassdroid, Missions post-Scarif, Mutual Pining, RebelCaptain Secret Valentine, Seriously a lot of it, These two need to get their act together, Trust Issues, Unresolved Romantic Tension, action sequences
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-16
Updated: 2018-02-16
Packaged: 2019-03-05 17:27:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13392711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreakCityPrincess/pseuds/FreakCityPrincess
Summary: An encounter with an old contact leads to a battle of wits, a tight situation, and new truths being realized and revealed./No way in hell, she decided, selecting the twelfth floor. She and Cassian would be taking a different route out, Reece's efforts be damned. She didn't believe one bit that there wouldn't be a squadron of Imperial guards waiting to greet them at his exit point./For the RC Secret Valentine Exchange!





	To never taste dependence (but belonging is alright)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [swdsnygeek](https://archiveofourown.org/users/swdsnygeek/gifts).



> For the lovely @riderunlove on tumbr!
> 
> Prompt:- An encounter with an old contact  
> Rating:- M for mostly language. It's not _that_ serious, but it is quite different from what's normally seen in my works, so I felt comfortable with upping the rating.
> 
> The artwork for this story can be found [ here!](https://hoofgirl.tumblr.com/post/170907429822/an-encounter-with-an-old-contact-leads-to-a-battle)

At some point in her life, Jyn had told herself a lot of lies. 

She'd told herself that her father's work hadn't been responsible for her mother's death. She'd told herself that she could keep a safe distance from the Partisans' ideals about war. That Saw would be coming back for her.

In the weeks and months following Scarif, she had learnt both to lie less and a little bit more. 

She told herself that trust wasn't to be taken for granted, that betrayal could happen again. She told herself that Scarif hadn't been the end, the Empire's grip was still strong around the galaxy, the war could take the precious few souls she cared about away from her in a heartbeat.

But she also told herself, even when it didn't appeal to her sense of realism, that none of these things might happen, and hope was easily within her sights. 

She leaned back against the crew-bench when she felt the telltale jostle of a ship entering hyperspace. 

She told herself she was not uneasy about their mission. 

It was not the mission itself that concerned her, no. She'd accompanied Cassian like this twice before- when he'd felt he'd need backup, when Kay couldn't possibly provide it, and she hadn't been assigned anywhere else. A simple meet-up with a contact for some words of advice pertaining to a file the two of them would afterwards steal, which was ideally going to be the more difficult part of the mission. 

Cassian hadn't been acting normal the previous day. 

Well, if she could really label anything he said or did as _normal._ She was surprised she'd noticed the slight changes at all through the man's impressive resting spy face, but she had, and she was assured she hadn't been imagining it because Kay had pointed it out as well. 

"You have been showing signs of stress and restlessness for the whole time I have been here," the droid had commented crisply. "There is a sixty-two percent chance your behaviour is related to tomorrow's mission and a thirty-one percent chance it is related to your spinal injury. There's also the possibility that it's due to both."

"Thank you for the suggestions, Kay," he'd said icily, not sparing them a glance from where he worked on their U-Wing's underbelly. "I couldn't tell why."

She'd stayed where she was, beside the hulking droid, but had dropped her shoulders a little to appear ununtrusive when she ventured, "Anything you want to talk about?"

He'd sighed, muttered what sounded like an apology under his breath. And then he'd stood up, hands covered in grease from a wholly unnecessary re-checking process, said, "It's nothing. Go and get some rest," in a warmer tone. 

There was a sixty-two percent chance his behaviour had been because of the mission they were now on their way to carry out. So while it sounded like a simple meetup and a quick theft that shouldn't be too much of a problem, she was more than a little weary that the apparent simplicity of their task was an illusion. 

The ship settled into seamless rythm, effortlessly riding the waves of hyperspace, and the engine quietened down to gentle whirring. She looked to her right to see Cassian emerge from the cockpit.

Emerge _was a generous description. Falling from the data tower on Scarif and the suicidal act of climbing back up had stolen the grace from his movements, forced him to stagger a little when he stood up, exhale sharply when he sat down (never in the presence of others. It was chance that had allowed her to see it), wince between laboured breaths after a sparring session. But he always tamped down these vulnerabilities, and spoke to his contacts with the authority of a man capable of taking down a garrison of 'troopers._

"We have three hours," he informed her, the slightest twitch in a corner of his lips. Smile? As close as he got on normal days, anyway. "I hope you're not going to get bored and rig the speaker system?"

Despite her concerns, she had to repress an indulgent smirk at the memory. "I don't know. Dancing with Chirrut was a lot of fun."

"You were about as graceful as a rancor."

Graceful. A word that would never be associated with Cassian Andor again. 

"I only misstepped a couple of times."

"Maybe Jedhan isn't the form for you," Cassian smiled now, actually smiled, but it was gone in a split second. He walked past her to the cargo hold hatch- paused for a moment that only trained eyes would notice- and went about lowering himself feet-first through it. There was no obvious pain in his features. But she saw a flicker of consternation nevertheless. "I have a report to finish. Won't take too long."

"And how am I supposed to keep myself entertained?" Jyn argued. "Kay?"

She heard a muffled sound as he dropped himself in, that may have been a grunt, may have been what passed for a laugh with him. "Force, no, leave each other alone. I'll be back. Twenty minutes."

For twenty minutes she tried to occupy herself with the ridiculous holonovel loaned off the Alliance's pathetic lending library- a storage room full of second-hand titles run by a band of junior ground officers who were determined not to let the sentient's love for literature die out on the frigid hell that was Hoth -but found her mind constantly drifting in the direction of their mission, and why Cassian was acting the way he was, and what he was not telling her.

Ten minutes in, she joined Kay in the cockpit and treated herself to an argument with him. By the time Cassian returned, she had long since left it and forgotten what they'd been on about. 

###### 

The mission would take a standard week, and upon landing in the heavily industrialised sector in Valite, Jyn understood why. Stormtroopers patrolled the crowded streets. White boots, white helmets and heavy black rifles crossed from alley to alley. The debriefing hadn't mentioned exactly _how_ strong the Imperial presence was in the district, and she was starting to understand why Cassian had been acting in a way an easy mission didn't warrant.

Avoiding suspicion meant docking their ship in the public hangar, and while spending their week in the ship itself had been an option, the heavily guarded area didn't come off as particularly appealing to the rebels. All three of them.

"It would be best if I powered down and stayed inside the ship, Cassian," Kay said in what could only be described as a grave tone of voice. "It will arouse a great deal of suspicion if I am seen. Also, my being spotted near the two of you has a seventy one percent chance of resulting in a firefight."

Jyn was surprised enough by this admittance to bring it up. "You're actually going to stay on the ship? _You?_ "

The droid looked at her with a disdainful tilt of his head. "I am programmed to make decisions to ensure Cassian's and yours safety. Allowing for a seventy one percent chance of a clash with stormtroopers does not fit into the parameters of keeping either one of you safe."

Jyn frowned. "Wait, did you just...to keep _me_ safe? That's not part of your instructions."

K-2SO whirred in that eternally suffering way of his that came close to a human sigh. "Cassian told me I had to. He wanted your safety prioritised over his, but I am yet to agree with that tactically unsound decision. Cassian is of much more value to the Alliance. He knows better than to deprioritise his safety, but with regards to you he is emotionally compromised and does not make the most logical calls, so I will make them for him."

Jyn was caught halfway into dropping a scathing remark but ended up simply staring in disbelief. "What do you mean?"

"There you are," Cassian suddenly approached from behind her, directly addressing the droid. "Stay on half-power and keep your comm activated in case we need extraction. And stay away from the viewports, obviously. Let's go, Jyn."

She was almost inclined to raise an eyebrow and ask what the hurry was about, but she decided it was just one of those things between him and Kay that she'd rather not take the trouble pursuing. She didn't see the warning look Cassian treated his droid to when she was halfway down the ramp.

"Was Jyn Erso not supposed to know?"

" _No,_ " hissed Cassian. "What have I told you about freely disclosing that information?"

Kay made a sound that could've passed for a grunt. "I have not _freely disclosed_ any information hinting at your romantic fixation on Jyn Erso. I told Jyn herself. I assumed she was allowed to know as she is not, in this case, an outside party."

Cassian sighed, rubbing his eyes in tiredly. He silently cursed Baze for coining the term _romantic fixation_ in Kaytoo's presence. "Just...stay with the ship. We're relying on you for additional help, alright?"

The droid regarded him silently. "Affirmative," he said at last.

Cassian nodded, rapping him on the chest. He turned the other way without a word, following Jyn's trail towards the chilly industrial capital of Valite.

###### 

It was sundown by the time they arrived at their rented room - in a cheap bed-and-breakfast meant exclusively for the business places' lesser clients and temporary employees - after surveying their surroundings by foot. They lingered outside the heavily guarded Imperial vault and its neighbouring office complex, and also took a look at the seedy bar in which Cassian would meet his contact, noting with no small amount of thanks that the odds weren't as bad as the initial impression. While the vault was armed to the teeth with stormtroopers in a way that definitely imposed a threat, the office from which they would extract the intel was a conveniently crowded and bustling place, where a few strangers wouldn't stand out and said strangers could get lost in the crowd if their security was compromised. They spent an hour in the cold weather and biting wind identifying exits. 

By the time the cheap room's single bed came into view, Jyn was tired enough to not register the fact that there was only one bed. 

She stripped herself of her jacket before heading into the fresher, closing the door behind her just as Cassian confirmed his suspicions that the guy at the reception desk hadn't been paying attention when they'd pointed out twice that the shared room had to have two beds, not one.

He was seated on the room's only chair when Jyn emerged from the 'fresher in an oversized sleepshirt and standard-issue briefs, the exposed skin on her collarbone flushed from a hot sonic. 

_Kriff you, Andor._

She stopped short when she noticed where the bed was, and where he was lounging with his datapad. 

She sighed. "That nerfhearder wasn't paying attention, was he?"

He shook his head. "No. We'll have to make do. I can lay out the extra sheets."

Jyn flipped down on to the bed carelessly. It was a small bed, obviously not meant for more than one person. One very slight person at that. "Good. Don't want my floor getting cold in this blasted place."

Cassian's disapproving look was immediate. "Jyn-"

 _"Captain,"_ Jyn drawled out his rank in a way that never failed to irritate him. She knew almost as well as him what grated on his nerves and what did not sit well with him. "Give me one good reason I should have the bed?"

Cassian felt an eyebrow twitch. He knew where this was going, of course. Dismissively, he looked back down at his datapad. "My back is fine."

"Maybe," Jyn clicked her tongue. "But you have a reason to not take the floor, while I don't. It's simple risk assessment."

He kept his eyes on the screen. "Must you be so difficult?"

"Must _you?_ "

She could be stubborn and unrelenting, but he'd be lying through his teeth if he said he didn't enjoy these back-and-forths even a little bit. 

Jyn took a different turn. "You're stinking up the room."

He treated her to an exasperated look, but there was a certain unavoidable touch of fondness in it that he hoped she wouldn't catch. "You're going to claim the floor when I go to the 'fresher? How original."

Jyn raised an eyebrow, but she was clearly enjoying herself. "And because of that you're not going to shower? The hot sonic is going to feel _so good,_ Cassian."

How was it that he felt like smiling when she was trying to grate on his nerves? 

"You're tired," he went back to reading the status updates on screen. He was on a private forum used by the Alliance's intelligence officers for trading various tidbits of information that helped with undercover identities, different planets and often essential pop culture knowledge. This was a page about a popular human singer on Coruscant whose recently discovered association with a drug ring was making the headlines in Core-world broadcasts. "I'll go in when you decide to fall asleep."

Jyn pursed her lips, almost in challenge. "Alright."

She tugged off the sparse bedspread and dropped it on the floor. He had just enough time to process this before she grabbed one of the thin pillows and pushed herself up. 

By the time he got to his feet, Jyn was already lying on her makeshift bedroll, trying not to look too pleased with her victory. 

"Jyn, come on," he said, exasperated. 

She looked up from where she'd made herself comfortable -only an expression, obviously, because he'd taken off his boots and he could tell the floor was brutally cold- and treated him to a defiant look. 

"Let me have the floor," he tried again. 

"Who's being difficult now?"

Cassian sighed, wondering if this argument could possibly end in his favour. "I'm better resistant to the cold than you are, and my back is fine. There's no need for you to suffer."

Jyn snorted. 

He held out a hand. She didn't budge. 

He kept the offer. Sooner or later she would have to either relent or slap his hand away, and if she did choose the second option there was no guarantee he wouldn't start over again. He could be just as stubborn as she was. 

After several long moments, Jyn huffed what could only be a sigh of defeat before placing her hand in his. It was warm, from the sonic, and a healthy flush ran through it, seeping into his palm also. 

He thought she'd surrendered. But when he did try to help her up, she didn't shift any of her weight, and his miscalculated pull resulted in his entire frame toppling down with her. 

He would've winced if he'd hit the floor, but as it were, Jyn's own body shielded his, and she laughed at the look on his face. 

He pushed himself up on his hands, scowling. "You did that on purpose."

Jyn snickered in his face. "Well of course, Captain Andor of _intelligence._ You should've seen your expression for a moment there. Kriff, Chirrut would've loved that."

"Chirrut can't even-" Cassian shook his head. "Nevermind. There's really no convincing you then, is there?"

Their eyes were almost level, and he could clearly make out the golden flecks in hers. 

"No," said Jyn, nonchalant. She raised her chin to make the point, her nose almost bumping his. 

Cassian was suddenly very aware of the finite distance between them, not to mention the way his knees effectively caged her own legs, that were mostly bare, crimson-tinted skin prickling under the cold breath of air. 

She didn't appear to notice at all, and that was to be expected, really; Jyn trained recruits and occasionally sparred with him in her spare time, and these...compromising positions weren't new to her, but this was the first time they'd ended in one _without_ an audience of fascinated rebel newbies. 

"You're going to drive me insane one of these days," he muttered under his breath, in Festian. 

Jyn raised an eyebrow. "What was that?"

"You can have your way," he reiterated in Basic, curtly, before painfully forcing himself up. The strain of holding his place hadn't been kind on his back either.

Jyn fell back onto the thin bedspread like it was the most comfortable place, watching with no small amount of self-satisfaction when he finally picked up a change of clothes and headed for the 'fresher.

She sat up as soon as he did. The floor really was ridiculously _cold._

###### 

There were nine tables, thirty two sentients, six droids and a very crammed distance between Cassian and the contact and where she sat alone with a drink. She was here to ensure he had back-up, should anything go wrong. At the moment, things were edging dangerously closer towards going wrong and with the absurd amount of patrons in this seedy establishment, it didn't look like she could easily be of help either.

The contact's back was to her -not that she could see much of him, aside from the solid guess that he was human- and Cassian sat across from him in their corner, which was mostly obstructed from view in a way that ticked her off undeniably. If anyone wanted to meet at a place as crowded as this, they were either stupid, really not hoping to starting a fight, or they had half a dozen hired guns posing as alcoholics or gamblers. And if it was the third case, that made her involvement all the more pointless.

Two drunkards had already attempted to chat her up, and she'd brushed them off without causing too much of a fuss. But Cassian's discussion with the faceless informant was growing tense when a third overeager flirt drifted into her line of vision, blocking out her view completely.

"Hey, sweetheart," the man exposed his teeth when he grinned, sliding into the empty bench before her. "Lonely?"

Jyn tried to make it less obvious that she was gritting her teeth. "Waiting on someone, actually."

The man pulled a surprised expression, but to her bad luck he looked over his shoulder in the same direction she must have obviously been fixated on.

_Of course he can tell. You've been anything but subtle this whole time. It's your fault if his cover is blown._

He misinterpreted her breathless expression for something else entirely. "Waiting for that one to notice you?"

"None of your business," scowled Jyn, knowing she should make the best of this situation and play along. But it was difficult knowing that while this idiot tried to talk her into drinking with him, Cassian could be flashing the distress signal her way.

Idiot's face grew closer to hers, and she could smell the alcohol on his breath, laced with other things. "Sorry, darling, but that's not going to work out for you. He looks a stuck-up prick anyway. How about a man who can show you a good time?"

Jyn narrowed her eyes in a way that meant she wouldn't be able to tolerate much more. "Not interested in _any_ kind of time you can show me. Thanks for the offer."

Had her dismissal encouraged him? Dear Force, it had. She'd have to resort to violence if he got any further into her personal space. 

"Don't be like that," Idiot grinned toothily, but held his place. "I promise you're not going to regret it. What's life without a little bit of chance...?"

"Kestrel," Jyn looked past him, impatient. If she wasn't going to scare him off by _looking_ threatening...

"Inventive," the man licked his lips. "I bet you're even _more inventive_ -"

"Sorry to keep you waiting," said a new voice, emerging from close behind him. Cassian strolled over to the table, hands in his pockets, wearing a disgruntled and serious expression. Despite his smaller stature compared to Idiot, he looked intimidating, and the other man backed down considerably.

Jyn beamed up at him in pleased relief. "Joreth! Thank the Force you're here. I was just getting..." She rolled her eyes exaggeratedly. " _Bored._ "

_Joreth's_ eyes darted between her tormentor and her, only to conlusively grunt and hold out an arm, which she took like a grateful date.

Cassian fixed the other man with a hard glare. "You were chatting up my girlfriend?"

Jyn faked a giggle. "Don't worry, handsome, it wasn't working."

Idiot looked like he had a few things to say, but was too inebriated to risk starting a brawl. He grabbed the drink left behind by Jyn instead. "There you go. It wasn't working. Bitch never said she was your girlfriend anyway."

Cassian narrowed his eyes at the man, and it looked even more real than this backstreet personality he was throwing.

"Joreth," whined Jyn, tugging his arm once pointedly.

Cassian made a low sound in the back of his throat, looking at her with hooded eyes. "Fine. But you owe me one for this."

His arm had drifted down to her lower back, holding her as possessively as the new character would.

"She inventive in bed, Joreth?" asked the man loudly, grinning up from his drink.

Cassian almost scowled his way, but didn't, instead closing his eyes and muttering a wordless prayer for patience. Then, without so much as a second glance towards the man, he removed his arm from where it was, took her hand and lead them away through the crowd unhurriedly. Jyn welcomed the cold air when they finally stepped out of the stuffed, radiating cantina.

"Never thought I'd say _this_ felt good," she stretched her bare arms out, welcoming the goosebumps that prickled her skin. She basked in the cold air for a while longer before untying her jacket from around her waist and shrugging it on. When she looked his way, however, he was still standing as he'd been initially, hands in his pockets to bunch out the cold, the wind blowing and playing with his hair. 

She frowned. "Cassian?"

Cassian suddenly shook his head, snapping out of it. "Nothing. The meeting went better than expected. My contact is willing to assist with the mission, but in case of an emergency, we're on our own."

Jyn crossed her arms. She wasn't going to buy that. "You're acting odd."

Cassian turned around to face her, and this time he really was scowling. "How do you _expect_ me to act, Jyn? There's a reason I work alone. I can't have eyes in two different places at the same time. If anything had happened to you, if they'd tried anything-"

"Wait," Jyn treated him to an incredulous look. "You're worried I can't take care of myself?"

"You- no, it's not you," he raked his fingers through his hair, ignoring the cold, dry weather that seeped through his thin shirt when he had a more than adequate folded and clipped to his belt. "Him, he wasn't alone. He had peers. You were outnumbered."

She dropped her arms and held her knuckles to her hips. "I can't believe this."

Cassian gritted his teeth. "You think you're invincible? You're not invincible, Jyn, and if anything had happened it would have been all my fau-"

Jyn held up a hand. "Stop. _Stop._ You really don't believe I can hold my own in a fight."

He breathed through his nose. "It's not that."

"You've seen me up against Stormtroopers. I've gone against ten recruits at once and won," she glared at him, anger and impatience apparent in her eyes. "And I beat your ass on that training mat every time we spar, and despite what you think it's _still_ me going easy on you."

For a split second, something flashed in his eyes. A look befitting for a person who'd just been told they'd been recurrently lied to.

It was gone as soon as it had come, and Cassian was walking briskly away from her and she only followed because she still had a point to get across.

"You don't have to protect me. You can't, anyway."

He only stopped in his tracks to glance back at her, and his expression was so cold and blank that it was as if he'd instantly built a defensive wall between them.

"You're right, I can't," he said calmly, quietly. "Because I can't even pin you down on that kriffing training mat when you're _going easy_ on my poor, invalid back. I can't do anything that you can't do, and the things I can do aren't better than the way you do them anyway. So yes. I should be working alone."

Jyn felt her fingers curl into fists by her sides. She felt a sharp stab of guilt at the mention of his spinal injury- the one from Scarif, the one from _following_ her. "You shouldn't be working alone, Cassian."

He snorted. "Why? Because I have a handicap?"

She shook her head at once. "No, it's not... _no._ Just...it could...things could get-"

Cassian turned to face her fully, ducking down to her level so his hard stare met her eyes, "I was working well enough on my own before Scarif. _This_ has changed nothing. If the problem really was with my stupid injury Draven wouldn't still send me on missions like this."

"He sent you backup."

" _Kay_ is my backup," hissed Cassian. "And he's the only backup I need. This is the way I worked before Scarif and I assure you, I can still operate like this."

Jyn closed her eyes. "The Alliance gave you an asset. Use it."

"I'm sorry, Jyn," Cassian raised an almost mocking eyebrow, but there was hurt in it, and there was a certain degree of anger. He was already stepping away. "But unlike that asshole at the cantina or whatever prick that called you an Alliance asset, _I_ just can't see you that way. Goodnight."

###### 

Cassian was dressed in uniform and already lingering outside the office building by the time she caught up to him. He was seated at a table outside the sidewalk shop of a food vendor- it was a concept popularly practiced here on Valite, where there would always be a need for cheap edibles at any time of the day- and drinking out of a tumbler of caf. There was another tumbler waiting on the other end of the table for two. She accepted the invitation without comment. 

It was a painful eternity before either of them said anything. 

"Hales will be here with clearance tags for us," Cassian said in a neutral tone. The same kind of tone he always used when delivering some bit of needed information, clipped and professional. "We are going in as temporary workers."

Despite the pathetic attempt at an idyllic setting with the outdoor tables, the caf tasted just as bad as when it was derived from ship fuel. "The office needs temporary workers too?"

"Representatives from the industries around it. Most of the corporations change their representatives when it's suitable. Those premises only partially serve as Imperial offices." Cassian cast a look in the direction of where the building loomed, steel grey and blue, like one of the meagre complexes of Coruscant cut and pasted in a different setting. From their position they couldn't see the Imperial vault and its crowd of stormtrooper guards, but there were still those troopers that patrolled the streets and occasionally asked to look at scandocs, for security and disciplinary purposes. Jyn had to force herself not to be tense when the white armour flashed by, but Cassian was good at playing another role, and acted the same way an ordinary civilian would on an ordinary day.

Jyn nodded, then gulped back a swig of caf like it was bitter medicine. "What time do we go in?"

"When the entrance gets crowded," Cassian met her eyes. "I will get to the files we want and make a copy of it. Watch the door for me."

_Keep an eye out for me_ was what he meant by it. But he wouldn't admit her role was essential, not when he believed he could do it on his own. 

"Sounds like a plan," said Jyn plainly, lifting the tumbler to her lips to finish off the watery caf. 

Another moment stretched by. He didn't look her way, not directly, but he wasn't acting out of character either. Like the role he was playing, he casually took in his surroundings, and she was forced to sit back and do the same. 

His expression only changed when a man approached them, clad in thick overalls with a hood shadowing his face. She noticed Cassian's jaw tighten, and rightly so; Hales could only draw attention in a public setting dressed like that. But oddly enough, no one spared a second glance at him; he looked around, decided it was safe, and dropped back his hood before dragging a chair next to Cassian at the table.

The man had dark eyes, pale skin and a marred face, which probably explained why he'd been hiding it in the first place. He looked across the table at her. 

Recognition flashed in his eyes. He almost doubled back where he was seated.

Cassian turned his head in the contact's direction, the slightest of frowns on his face. 

_Hales_ couldn't be subtle. He met his look directly with wide, furious and frightened eyes. 

" _She's_ with you?"

Jyn knew that voice. Jyn knew that face, too, but this wasn't the way she remembered it. 

" _Reece?_ "

Reece- it _was_ him. Another ghost. Another face from her past, but one she'd forgotten, one she'd thought she'd seen the last of. He was trembling, now, an almost feral look in his eyes. 

"I'm not working with her. I'm _not._ "

Jyn's stare turned into a hard glare, and she leaned across the table with gritted teeth as that memory- _that_ particular memory- came crashing back to her painfully, suddenly, just as the sight of him.

"You're supposed to be dead."

Reece bristled. " _I'm_ supposed to be dead? You're the one who- _you_ were the one the Empire wanted!"

Jyn's eyes darkened. "And how did that work out for you, Reece?"

There was suddenly a hand holding her in place, fingers clamped around her wrist. She almost hissed at Cassian. " _You_ brought him here!" 

Cassian's voice was calm. Prepared. "I didn't know he had any connection to you, Jyn."

"Jyn," snarled Reece, and the burn marks on his face seemed to light up with his tone. "How could I forget you? You did this to me."

Despite everything, a grin broke out on her face. "So _that's_ what Saw did when he took you away screaming?"

Cassian blocked him as soon as he pulled back a fist. 

"She's with me," the spy said warningly. "Meaning she's with the rebellion. You will not get your price if you compromise this mission."

Reece sat back, barring his teeth. "No price is worth this. She'll stab me in the kriffing-"

Jyn laughed. 

" _Bitch-_ "

"You wouldn't be the first cutthroat I've killed, Reece," Cassian said almost casually, leaning back in his seat to dissuade any attention attracted their way. His relaxed stance and slightly warning expression suggested the other man follow suit. 

Jyn only dropped her shoulders after he'd put considerable distance between them, and she crossed her legs under the table. 

"I don't know what the story here is," began Cassian, ever the professional. She didn't know if she was thankful or hated him for it. "But whatever you need to sort out, sort out after we've achieved our objective. We have to work together until then whether you like it or not."

It didn't escape Jyn that he was addressing them both. 

"I'm going to rename my price," said Reece, bitterly, like he was settling for a particularly unsavoury compromise. "Three thousand credits, double of what it was before. And a guarantee from you that _she_ can't lay a finger on me."

Cassian regarded him, and she silently regarded the rebel spy. How was he going to deal with this man who'd obviously done something to hurt her? 

In the same way he dealt with all of his contacts, apparently. 

"Two thousand. And my guarantee."

###### 

It didn't help that, in the sub-executive's uniform his trusty _contact_ had supplied him with the previous day, Cassian looked unfairly handsome from whichever angle you looked at. It was a dark green shirt with a black collar and two thin stripes running smartly down the front. If she wasn't so utterly pissed at him, she might have appreciated the look a little longer before they parted ways.

Now, though, she was only trying to think of how scratchy her own uniform felt in order to avoid thinking of Reece, and how the bastard would double-cross her this time. 

_Tamsye Prime. Imperial weapons facility. Amidst the chaos, Saw Guerrera handing her a blaster and ordering her to wait it out in a bunker._

It had all started with Reece. 

There were too many faces from her past that Jyn didn't wish to see again, but while the Imperial in white who'd triggered every one of her life's turmoils had initially been on the top of that list- the Partisan-turned-Imperial-cutthroat had definitely always come close. 

Hadn't Saw dealt with him for good? She'd thought Saw would do at least that much for her. 

Maybe he'd tried to. Maybe Reece escaped, ran away to his Imperial saviours where Saw couldn't touch him. Jyn wanted to believe no other explanation as to how her mentor could have failed her that time. 

Cassian's voice scratched through the comlink, retracting her cord to reality 

" _I have the Governor's Secretary's office in sight._ " 

Jyn touched the invisible piece at her ear. " _Copy that. Getting into position."_

There was another voice from another end of the link, obviously disgruntled and reluctant. " _Also getting into position. You do realize I'm gambling with my life for your sake?"_

Cassian's voice cut through, sharply. " _You don't have Jyn's role because I don't trust you not to kriff it up. Just do your part, Reece. The rebellion will reward you handsomely._ " 

Jyn didn't say out loud that she appreciated the fact that he was finally admitting he needed her aid, but stored that bit of information for discussion at a later time. " _I'm taking the turbolift. Crowded floor?_ " 

" _Not as much as we hoped for,_ " came Cassian's reply after a pause. Then, " _I'm going in._

Jyn counted to ten under her breath before heading towards the lift doors. She was still not comfortable with Reece being the one to arrange their passage out- but Cassian was right. He wouldn't be able to contribute anything were their positions reversed. 

Still. Their _passage out?_ Cassian _trusted_ him enough for that? 

No way in hell, she decided, selecting the twelfth floor. She and Cassian would be taking a different route out, Reece's efforts be damned. She didn't believe one bit that there wouldn't be a squadron of Imperial guards waiting to greet them at his exit point. 

###### 

Cassian got into the room undetected and found the file he was looking for without a hitch. An encoded list of parts for Imperial superweapons developed on Valite, what they were made of and who supplied them; for the rebellion it was about how to defeat them and potential to replicate them. All strongly encrypted, of course, but standard Imperial code was something the rebellion's brains had cracked months ago, kept a close secret and used carefully so it wouldn't be given away and the Empire wouldn't think to change its code. 

This was information the rebellion needed, and having a contact on Valite who could get them access so easily was a golden opportunity put to good use. He wasn't so sure said contact was an entirely clean resource, now. 

He started the process of copying the files and waited. Waited. The size of the list made it an arduous, painful stretch of time. 

The room was dark and quiet. It should've been inaccessible, but Reece had had the passcode; Jyn had pulled him to a side and argued this was beyond suspicious, but he'd calmly told her that the Secretary in question was somebody Reece slept with, and he had reason to believe this. 

Cassian stood back and waited. Only thirty percent of the file had transfered. 

He knew was asking a lot of Jyn to trust his judgement when it came to a person she had more experience with. He knew it was a lot to ask her to work with a person who'd betrayed her before, and he knew it probably felt like and betrayal of sorts on _his_ part. 

But Jyn had done greater things for the rebellion. For him. 

The file was at forty-five percent. 

Jyn had been doing him a favour by making their training sessions easy for him. She'd promised not to, but each time a sharp wave of pain coursed through his spine from too much of strain, he came closer to believing it was justified. 

Sixty.

He'd grown somewhat dependent. Kaytoo had remarked as much. It wasn't so much about missions and her reliable backup than the smaller things, things he could think of only now, after they'd argued and fought about it. 

Things like coming back from weeks off-world and finding her and Bodhi waiting in the hangar, smiles on their faces unless he looked injured. Things like having someone to sit with when he got late for mess hall, because while Chirrut and the others were willing enough company during normal hours, Jyn was the only one who took the risk of delaying her other tasks by sitting across from him those extra twenty minutes and conversing about one thing or another. Or the way she argued with his superiors on behalf of him, and the way she forced him to medbay when he was in pain and in denial 

Seventy-percent. 

His comlink buzzed in his ear. " _We're going to have company,_ " came Jyn's voice, strained. 

###### 

Jyn blamed Reece and no one else when five Stormtroopers stepped out of the turbolift onto the relatively uncrowded floor. 

People started murmuring, loudly, and anxious workers shuffled to a side to allow the armed 'troopers through. They were glancing in both directions, looking for a place or person in particular. 

Jyn realized there weren't many bodies blocking her from view. That the door to her right was pretty much visible. 

While the guards marched forward in the space created for them, the door slid open and Cassian stepped through, wearing the face of just another curious onlooker. 

The 'trooper at the lead stopped beside a human woman and asked a question. Where this particular office is. 

Cassian's hand dropped into her own. A wordless tug in a different direction. 

They disappeared into a corridor just as the 'troopers turned their way. 

"You have it?" Jyn asked quietly. 

Cassian nodded an affirmative. 

"I'll meet you outside," she said, her tone allowing no room for argument, her eyes set like steel. "Go." 

He took a breath, ever ready to protest. "Jyn-" 

" _Stop right there._ " 

They wasted no time and bolted. 

The corridor turned onto a wider one with more branches. Some, they knew, were definitely dead ends. Most would land them back the way they'd come. The sound of plastoid boots was rapid and far too close in their ears as they ran. 

Jyn took a turn left, but didn't have the thinking space to feel relieved when he followed without question. She knew what she was doing. She'd studied exits in her time outside. 

Shouts. Orders. The leader definitely called for reinforcements. 

There were two more paths left to take. One to the floor's reception area, one to the emergency exit. 

She took the former. 

Cassian knew her well enough not to ask. The troopers would almost certainly take tell obvious path. But if their response time was good enough, the lobby would be swarming with troopers, too. 

There was no such greeting for them. But there were crowds, excited shouts, and a lot of people drawing attention their way. 

Jyn was quick to sprint for the turbolift. He bit back the pain that sent shockwaves though him and darted in after her. 

The lift wasn't locked. Bad response time, then. But the crowds were upon the plastiglass doors as soon as they slammed shut. 

The turbolift shuddered and carried them down, leaving the overeager, clamouring masses on the floor above. 

As they got time to catch their breaths while the lift dropped, Cassian met Jyn's eyes and wondered if this was the best of plans after all. There would be troopers on the ground floor. Indefinitely. 

Jyn hit the switch for the eight floor, then flashed him a smile. Somehow, his heart hammered faster in his chest 

The lift stopped on the eighth floor, and they soon blended in with the flocks of similarly-clad workers, composing themselves as they went. 

"If we see Reece- 

"You'll get to do whatever you want. I promise. 

Jyn smiled again, but there was nothing endearing about this one. 

They turned onto the stairs leading down, and hurried in their way to whatever exit they could find that wouldn't be crowded with Imperial troops by the time they got there. 

They reached the ground floor, and Jyn was quick to take a look through the glass on the door. " _Kriff_ ," she muttered, stepping back. The lobby was full of them. 

"They don't know what we look like, probably just saw a bit of these uniforms," Cassian started pulling off his shirt. Jyn doubled back, staring, as he dropped it aside to reveal _another_ shirt, but this was a stiff blue one with a red collar, short red stripes on the shoulders and circling the cuffs. It looked like another dress uniform, slightly rumpled but equally presentable. 

He caught her staring and there was an imperceptible twitch of his lips. "I prepare for situations like this, Jyn." 

"Your pants don't match," was her automatic response. 

Cassian regarded her silently for a second or two, then slipped the hem of his trousers just slightly, enough for her to catch a flash of dark blue underneath. 

She turned around quickly, and in half a second he was at her shoulder, a calm mask on his face. 

"Let's go," was all he said before he pushed open the door, and they walked out to be greeted by a stormtrooper with a rifle and a visible earpiece. 

"Stop," he said, voice a mechanical whir. Cassian feigned surprise. "Identification?" 

"What's going on?" Jyn asked. "What's with the guards?" 

The trooper skimmed over their scandocs- the ones she'd taken some small degree of satisfaction in forging- before reaching for his comlink. 

"What do the trespassers look like?" he asked into it.

The black eyes of his helmet stared them down while he got his description. Jyn told herself to have faith in their plan. 

Presently, the trooper nodded. 

"You are cleared of suspicion. Leaving?" 

"Emergency at the factory," Cassian lied easily. "My office is there, we need to be there." 

_Factory fires were normal in Valite, and generally considered an urgent matter._

The trooper nodded. "Proceed. You are required to leave your scandocs here." 

Jyn wanted to question that, but Cassian didn't take that approach, said a quick thanks, and made for the open exit like he really did have an office on fire to get to 

There were well on their way out of the building's sights when more shouts, louder than before, drifted down to them. 

Jyn whisked around to see Reece, in his pathetic overalls and dropped-down hood, pointing what looked like the entire garrison of troopers from the lobby in their direction. 

Jyn cursed viciously and reached for the blaster hidden under her tunic. Cassian grabbed her wrist and started running again. 

A good choice, as it turned out. Blasterfire ringed behind them as soon as they turned into an alleyway. 

There was nowhere to go and far too many options at the same time. Doors leading into unknown places, possibly safe havens because the number was limitless. Roads that stretched on forever. But too many witnesses, too many passers-by whose attention they had caught. 

Cassian took the lead this time. This was what they'd spent the entirety of their first day doing- identifying exits. Exits were too important, and they'd entrusted theirs to a cutthroat. 

But Cassian hadn't ignored her word of warning. That's why they'd gotten this far in the first place. 

They stumbled into another alley. She could see the dome of the public hangar from here. Directly to the ship, then, and off this miserable planet. There was no way they could spend another week here to achieve the rebellion's set of secondary objectives. 

Just as they made it to a street she really recognized, an all too familiar figure in hideous overalls ran into the space before them. 

Her blaster was in her hand and pointed directly at his chest. 

"Call your Stormtrooper friends," she snarled. "And I kill you." 

Reece staggered back but grunted, skeptical. "You'll kill me no matter what I do." 

"Yes," Cassian's voice surprised her, because she hadn't expected him to say anything. "But this is your chance to choose how painful it has to be." 

The scarred man, impossibly, took a step forward. "I'm not going to lie," he drew a blaster of his own. Expertly hidden, somewhere behind his back. "I've been dreaming of this day for a long time, _Jyn. "_

Jyn's blaster arm didn't waver. "Really? Satisfying to know it's going to be a disappointment." 

Cassian looked around. Heard orders, comlinks hissing and plastoid armour. 

"We don't have time." 

"You promised," said Jyn, in a voice that was barely there, that didn't match the hard look in her eyes. 

"Jyn-" 

A shot rang out. A cold hand of dread gripped his heart. 

When he opened his eyes, though, Reece was the one on the ground, and he was bleeding through his sleeve. 

"I'm going to enjoy this," whispered Jyn. 

"No time," Cassian gripped her elbow. "Not now." 

Reece took aim with his injured arm and a single rod of white hot energy zapped through the space between them. 

Jyn's immediate response was to extend her own arm and fire at his good shoulder, and he let out a piercing scream of agony that called every other sound around them to a stop. 

Stormtroopers headed their way. The sound of their boots were louder. 

Jyn took one last disgusted look at the marred face from her past, then headed in the direction of the hangar before Cassian had to prompt her. 

Cassian stood by Reece's form for a moment longer. The man's expression threatened to point the troopers in their direction, and if the authorities closed down the hangar bay, it was the end of the line for them both. 

Jyn didn't see him push the open end of his blaster to her old contact's forehead, switch on the silencer, and deal with that loose end. 

He ran after her before Reece's body hit the ground. 

###### 

They got incredibly lucky with the public hangar. Kaytoo lifted the ship off the ground moments before notice of a planetary blockade erupted from the speakers of the control room. 

No TIE fighters followed them. There was no one waiting once they broke atmosphere. Cassian prayed a silent thanks to the Force for this Imperial body's lacking efficiency. 

It was a long stretch of time before he saw Jyn again. She'd disappeared into her quarters as soon as the ship's pace had settled. 

She appeared in his quarters while he was cleaning the blood from his hands, choosing to sit on his bunk and simply watch 

He had a lot of explaining to do. And apologising. 

He had to admit he wouldn't have made it out of that building alive if it wasn't for her contribution. That he'd needed her on this mission and he'd need her on any future mission she'd be willing to assist. 

He couldn't think of the right words to say, but once he'd scrubbed off the last stains of her old enemy's blood from his hands, he sat down beside her on the bunk. 

The silence dragged on for what felt like minutes. Jyn was the first to talk. 

"I'm sorry," she started. 

She cut him off just as he looked up to object. "I'm sorry I made a promise I never intended on keeping. It's just...I don't want you getting hurt. Not by me, not by anyone. 

"I understand why you did it," he replied, and the ease with which the words came out surprised him. Still, he wouldn't leave it at that. "And I appreciate it, Jyn, I really do. At least I didn't feel weak, when we trained. There are...other things we need to talk about." 

Jyn half-laughed, but it was a sad sound, without humour. "Yeah. Never expected to run into that dirtbag again. Where do you even find these people? 

He allowed himself a small smile, just to keep the conversation lighter. "I didn't know there was a connection." His smile fell. "I wouldn't have agreed to work with him if I'd known before. I'm sorry." 

"It's fine," she rubbed her temples. "Really, it is. At least...at least he had it coming. 

Cassian sighed. "You know, then." 

Jyn treated him to an ernest look. "You had to do it." 

"Yes," he closed his eyes. "I know I said you'd get to settle it, but-" 

"He's dead," Jyn looked at the wall. "That's all that matters. He ruined my life, and betrayed us, risked our lives and the mission, but he's dead now. We don't have to talk about him." 

His throat constricted. There were even more difficult topics of conversation they had to trace. 

Jyn laughed again, but this time there seemed to be a little more life to it, like she was purposefully shaking off the recent memory. "We argue about a lot of things, don't we? 

Cassian smiled from the corner of his mouth. "I'd say we argue about everything." 

"I'm sorry," Jyn shook her head. "For earlier. I was being...unreasonable and stupid. It made a lot of sense, what you said. I was outnumbered and possibly about to face a situation I wouldn't be able to get out of. I let my pride get in the way. I'm not invincible, Cassian, and...I need you watching my back. I'm not used to having someone do that for me. But I need it. And...thank you." 

Cassian placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I need you watching my back too, Jyn. Today, if you hadn't been around, I wouldn't have made it out of there. So. Thank you too, I guess. It doesn't convey everything, but-" He laughed, and it sounded nervous. Why was he nervous? "I was afraid. I thought I'd grown...dependent. And in this line of work that means complacent, compromised- but I don't believe that anymore. We make a great team." 

Jyn smiled at him sideways, without directly looking at him. Her relaxed stance caused him to release a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "We do make a great team. All square?" 

Cassian smiled, really this time, in a way that actually showed. "All square. Great team or not, though, we're going to have to explain to Draven why we didn't achieve any of the secondary objectives." 

Jyn snorted. " _Secondary,_ " she repeated, with emphasis. 

He'd be lying straight through his teeth if he said he didn't enjoy these conversations.

Jyn turned to fully look at him, finally, and placed a hand over his. Her gaze was intent and full of...something. Something he was afraid to name. 

"I need you," she said, plainly, honestly. "Don't...don't leave. Everyone leaves, but you-" 

"I'm not going anywhere," he said, and damn it if his voice came off a little husky. 

Jyn brought the fingers of her free hand up to his face and closed the distance between them. Initially, his thought process became one blank line, but kicked back into action the moment he felt her pulling away. 

Cassian grabbed the sides of her face and brought his lips back to hers, crashing and intent and passionate, desperate to convey everything he couldn't put into words. 

Jyn's arms came around his neck, and she was soon returning the kiss with the same intensity. 

He wholeheartedly gave her space to deepen it, to collide further into him, and couldn't control the embarrassingly needy sound that came from him. When Jyn pulled back, she was smirking with a slight air of superiority. 

"What about the secondary objectives?" she asked. 

Despite everything and the incredible urge to continue what they'd started, Cassian managed to put on a face that was blissfully unconcerned. 

"Secondary," he said dismissively, only to break into a grin when she kissed him again. 

They had issues, like everyone else in this galaxy in turmoil. They were trying to establish a partnership based on trust when neither of them had considerable experience in that subject matter.

Dependence didn't necessarily mean growing complacent. Maybe they needed each other. Maybe they would both always need an extra pair of eyes, someone to look out for them or rush in with a blaster when things went haywire.

Maybe this was a good place to start.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is greatly appreciated! :)


End file.
